Saturday, September 5, 2015

Goose and Bug Adventures- Rim Rock

In my first Shawnee National Forest post I mentioned a couple of our favorite places to go hiking but there are so many more in our area. Every time we find a new one we decide that it's our new favorite.

One of my top places to explore is Rim Rock. Rim Rock is located just a few minutes down the road from Garden of the Gods so the last time we went we did both of them the same day. It was a hot and sweaty afternoon but the girls loved it.

As you enter Rim Rock the first thing you notice are the lines of giant stones all over the hill. This area was home to an ancient Indian wall that was built somewhere around 1,500 years ago.

The highlight of Rim Rock is without a doubt Ox-Lot Cave. The viewing
area on the way to it is beautiful and my girls love running back and
forth on the deck. To get to the cave you have to do a bit of work.
There's steps leading down from the main trail and you have to squeeze
through a very tight crevice between two rocks. Then there's some rocks
that are occasionally slippery you have to get past.

The cave is so large that I can't even fit it into the frame of my camera.

The last time we hiked at Rim Rock we bypassed the main trail and took a side trail back to the car. It was a great decision because we saw so much more scenery and were under the cliff's instead of just walking through trees.

The only downside I've noticed at Rim Rock is that it's not near as popular as some of the other trails. The first time we went this summer there were zero cars there and it wasn't until we were almost back to our car that we saw someone else out there. That's a little scary when you're alone with two little girls. But out of all the places we've visited this summer Rim Rock is my definite favorite. I think it's the prettiest and the hiking is more strenuous on the lower trail which is something I like. My kids loved going through the tight squeezes and climbing the steps.